I make the most of it, leaving Sam to talk to one of the guys and newly positioning myself somewhere in the middle of the group. The overtaking is tricky, but I time it with the ebb and flow of the cars, slotting in and out wherever I can. The way I see it, the closer I can get to the front, the less embarrassing it looks when I drop back at the next eventual incline.
My plan works perfectly and I finally get a chance to talk to some of El’s other house guests. I start off small with a couple of girls, Lana and Sofia, exchanging light pleasantries about the weather and our travels, but soon we’re belly-laughing about bad dates and tales from our childhood, and they’re punching their numbers into my phone. I feel a buzz of excitement I haven’t felt for a while as I’m reminded how kind strangers are the second you’re all travelling. I’ve missed the feeling – missed the freshness. Been focused for far too long on Noah.
Our discourse gets so animated I practically forget about the hike, and the feeling of sand between my toes makes me jump with surprise. I break my gaze from the girls to the coast and the crystal-clear water, sparkling under the light of the dazzling sun. I get it now. This view, this beach, this feeling was worth every second of that wretched two-hour walk.
I drop my bag to the sand, whip my dress off and kick off my sandals, barrelling towards the blue before anyone can stop me. The water hits my ankles first, icy cold and packing a punch that should shock me enough into not going further, but I push on. It hits my calves, my knees, my thighs, soon my midriff, unfurling my spine as it passes, washing my stress away. I throw myself back, braids be damned, and float on my back as rays of light stroke my body and bathe me in their warmth. This is perfect.Exactly what I needed. My eyelids drift closed as I savour the moment.
‘You know tides exist, right?’ A voice pulls me from my bliss and right back into the salty ocean.
I open my eyes to find Noah looking down at me, bemused. ‘If you’re not careful, you’ll be washed out to sea. Then what will I tell your fans?’
My stomach tugs at itself, the knot I just unravelled springing back without hesitation. I hurl myself back onto my feet, toes sinking into wet sand as I meet Noah face to face. He looks more relaxed, smile at bay and eyes packed with the sparkle I’ve come to miss since Milan. He’s topless, of course. It takes everything in me not to glance down and instead results in some pretty intense eye contact.
‘I’ve missed this,’ he says, as waves crash at our waists.
My heart flutters.
‘The ocean?’
I need him to say the ocean.
‘No, you!’ He stops to laugh. ‘I’ve barely seen you since you got here.’
‘Yeah, sorry. I meant to find you last night, but then me and Sam ended up—’
‘Yeah, you and Sam. Is that back on? You two are joined at the hip and El said you’re sharing a room as well. Do you really think that’s a good idea?’ He fires off each question at record speed.
‘What do you mean?’ I ask.
I watch him shift, his eyes dropping to the water below.
‘Well, I don’t know... back in Berlin, you didn’t seem that keen to see him again.’
‘I wasn’tnotkeen,’ I say.
I don’t know why I’m getting defensive. Sam and I made it clear last night that we’d remain platonic, and that was only further solidified when he stayed up till four in the morningletting me rant about Noah. But looking across at Noah’s face, the lightness from before replaced with something more sombre and scolding, I cannot help but feel my back go up with the longer he stares at me.
‘That’s hardly a good enough reason to shag someone,’ he scoffs.
I raise an eyebrow. ‘And you care about who I’m shagging because...?’
His eyes widen. ‘I don’t! It’s just... rule number five, remember? No more than two dates per person.’
‘Unless you deem it narratively interesting.’ If we’re getting into the rules, we ought to include the whole statement.
‘Sam’s hardly narratively interesting.’ He rolls his eyes, muttering.
I snap at him. ‘He’s a great guy!’ It’s harsher than I anticipated and I see Noah flinch. But his flinch only spurs me on further. ‘And since we’re looking at rules, I don’t recall giving the all-clear for you to start sleeping with El, as per rule number six.’
‘You don’t know that we’ve...’ He stops himself mid-sentence. ‘I guess I didn’t think I needed to. Plus, you were in Verona.’
‘You have my number,’ I say. ‘You texted it enough with pictures of you two looking all cosy.’
‘I sent you pictures because you refused to come with me. And what? I was meant to text you, “Hey, I really like El. Are we good to bone now?”’
His voice picks up in volume and I freeze in my place.
He really likes El.
